The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-18

man frame anu broken UoDe. LII
stantly the air was filed with the
cries of the wounded and the shrieks
Of those about to die. Groans OF
men and shrieks of women added to
make an appalling sound, and above
all could be heard the agonizing
CRIES OF LITTLE CHILDREN,
as in some instances they lay pinned
beside their dead parents. There
was another terrible danger yet to be
met. The bridge was still burning,
and the cars were lying on and
around the fercely burning embers.
Everywhere in the wreck were wound
ed and unhurt women and children,
whose lives could be saved If they
could be gotten out, but whose death
in a most horrible form was certain
if the twisted wood Of the broken
cars caught. And to fight the FIRE
there was
NOT A DROP OF WATER,
and only some fifty able-bodied men
who still had presence Of mind and
nerve enough for duty. The only
light was that Of the burning bridge,
and with so much of it's aid fifty men
went to work to fight the flames. For
four hours they fought like fends,
and for four hours victory hung in
the balance. Earth was the only
weapon with which the fire could be
fought, and so an attempt was made
to smother it. There was no pick or
shovel to dig it up, and 10 barroWs
to carry it, and so desperate were
they that they dug their fingers into
the earth, which the long drought had
baked almost as hard as stone, and
heaped the precious handfuls thus
hardly won upon the
ENCRoACIIING FLAMES,
and with this earthwork, built hand
ful by handful, kept back the foe.
While this was going on, other brave
men crept under the wrecked cars
beneath the fire and wooden bars
which held as prisoners so many
precious lives, and with pieces Of
boards, and sometime their hands,
beat back the flames when they
flashed up alongside the seats. An
unfortunate wretch who was pinned
down by heavy beam looked on
helplessly while it seemed as if his
death by fire was certain. And
while the fight was thus going on,
the ears Of the workers we're filed
with the groans Of dying men, the
anguished entreaties of those whose
death seemed certain unless the ter
rible blaze could be extinguished,
and the cries of those too badly hurt
to care in what manner death were
brought about, so it only would be
quick. So they dug up the earth
with their own hands, reckless of the
blood streaming out from their broken
finger nails, and heaping it up in lit:
tie mounds, while all the time came
HEART.RENDING CRIES,
For Gods sake, don't let US burn to
DEATH" But finally the victory was
won; the fire was out after four hours
of endeavor, and as its last sparks
died away the light came up in the
east to take their place and the dawn
came upon scene cf horror.
While the fight had been going on
men had been dying, and there were
not so many wounded to take out as
there had been four hours before.
But in the meantime the country had
bsen aroused. Help had come from
Chattswortb, Forest and Piper cities,
and as the dead were laid reverently
alongside Of each other out in corn
field, there were ready hands to take
them to Chattsworth, while some Of
the wounded were carried to Piper
City. One hundred and eighteen
was the
AWFUL POLL OF TIE DEAD,
while the wounded number four
times that many. The full tale of
the dead cannot, however, be told yet
for days. Chattsworth was turned
into morgue to-day. The town
hall, engine house house and depot
were all full of dead bodies, while
every house in the little village had
its quota Of wounded. There were
over 100 corpses laying in the ex-
temporized dead houses, and every
man and woman was turned into an
amateur but Jealous nurse. Over in
lumber yard the noise of hammers
and saws rang out in the air, and
busy carpenters were making rough
cohins to carry to their homes the
dead bodies of the excursionists who,
twelve hours before, had left their
homes, full Of pleasurable expecta-